The 14th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium on the theme “Developing a common platform for strengthening digital payments system in the SAARC region” was hosted by the Nepal Rastra Bank on 27 June 2018 in Kathmandu; this program was held subsequent to the SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting. Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Honorable Finance Minister, Government of Nepal inaugurated the symposium. Mr. Fazle Kabir, Governor, Bangladesh Bank Chaired the inaugural session and Dr. Chiranjibi Nepal, Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank delivered the welcome address. Mr. Harish Natarajan, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, the World Bank delivered the keynote address during the opening ceremony.
Mr. Dasho Penjore, Governor, Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan and Ms. Aishath Zahira, Deputy Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority chaired the country presentation sessions.

The 13th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium on the theme “Challenges for the SAARC region amidst Global Uncertainties and Possible Policy Measures to Mitigate these Risks” was hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on 12 July 2017; this program was held subsequent to the SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting. Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka delivered the keynote address during the opening ceremony. Two subsequent sessions chaired respectively by Acting Governor Mr. Riaz Riazuddin of State Bank of Pakistan and Governor Mr. Fazle Kabir of Bangladesh Bank. Each SAARCFINANCE member presented their respective country paper. The Nepal country paper was delivered in the second session of the Symposium, by Executive Director Mr. Bhisma Raj Dhungana.

The 12th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium on the theme "Impact of Chinese Slowdown on SAARC Region & Policy Options" was hosted by the Reserve Bank of India on 27 May 2016; this program was held subsequent to the SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting.
Deputy Governor Mr. Shiba Raj Shrestha participated the Symposium. Each SAARCFINANCE member presented their respective country paper. The Nepal country paper was delivered in the second session of the Symposium, by Executive Director Mr. Nara Bahadur Thapa.

The 11th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium on the theme Financial Inclusion was hosted by the Bangladesh Bank on 12 June 2015; this program was held subsequent to the SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Governor Mr. Daw Tenzin of Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan with two subsequent session chaired respectively by Governor Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan of Reserve Bank of India and Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman of Bangladesh Bank who also delivered the inaugural/keynote address. Each SAARCFINANCE member presented their respective country paper. The Nepal country paper was delivered in the second session of the Symposium, by Director Mr. Rajendra Pandit.

The 10th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium was organized by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo on 24 July 2014.
The theme of the Symposium was 'Unwinding of Unconventional Monetary Policies and Its Impact on Emerging Market Economies.'
Governor of Reserve Bank of India Dr. Raghuram Rajan delivered the keynote address. In his address, Dr. Rajan focused on two
types of quantitative measures: quantitative easing and credit easing. Dr. Rajan called for better international coordination
among the world's central banks. He recommended some policy prescriptions to the emerging market economies for mitigating the
impact of unwinding of unconventional monetary policies (UMP) including building credible monetary and fiscal frameworks,
accumulating reserves opportunistically and limiting rise in foreign currency short term debt.
After Dr. Rajan's keynote speech, each SAARC country made presentations, highlighting the direct and indirect impact of unwinding
of UMP on their respective economies. Chair of the country presentation sessions and Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr. Yuba Raj
Khatiwada stressed in his concluding remarks that the countries of this region need to keep the macroeconomic indicators sound to
withstand the adverse impact of unwinding of UMP. Likewise, he opined that the loss of confidence in the market due to unwinding
of such policies requires a rescuer such as the central bank or the government. Finally, he noted that more cooperation among the
SAARC central banks to promote regional financial market could be instrumental in mitigating the spillover effects.

The 26th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting and 9th Governors' Symposium were hosted by the State Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad
on 19 June 2013. Dr Fazeel Najeeb, Governor and Chairman, Maldives Monetary Authority chaired the SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting whereas
SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium was chaired by Mr. Yaseen Anwar, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. Governor of the Nepal
Rastra Bank Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada took part in both the program. Governor Dr. Khatiwada delivered the country presentation on
the theme 'Impact of EU Debt Crisis on South Asian Economies: Nepal's Experiences' during the Symposium. He opined that most South
Asian countries were largely unaffected from the EU crisis, but the prolonged crisis might exacerbate the situation through financial
contagion channel, fiscal channel and exchange rate channel. Governor Dr. Khatiwada, while presenting the case of Nepal, highlighted
the principal policy measures undertaken in order to maintain financial stability and possible crisis mitigation. He further indicated
that it is the right time for South Asian countries to foster stronger cooperation, financial alliances and economic ties among
themselves to make economic development sustainable. There were two panel discussion sessions, which were chaired by the keynote
speakers Dr. Ishrat Hussain, the former Governor of the SBP and Dr. Ehtisham Ahmed, Senior Fellow, London School of Economics".

Nepal Rastra Bank organized the 25th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting and 8th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium on "Food Inflation on SAARC Region" on 16 May 2012 in Pokhara, Nepal. Dr. Fazeel Najeeb, Chairperson of the SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority inaugurated the Symposium. The guest speakers of the Symposium included Dr. Kalpana Kochhar, Chief Economist from the World Bank and Dr. Sultan Hafeez Rahman, former Director General of Asian Development Bank. Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank made a thematic presentation on "Food Inflation in SAARC Region." Likewise, country papers on the Symposium's theme were also presented. There was also a separate round table discussion on the topic "Macroprudential and Monetary Policies in SAARC Region.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank, Mr. Khalilullah Sediq chaired the 37th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Bali, Indonesia on 12 October 2018. Governors and Finance Secretaries of the SAARC countries and their nominated officials participated the meeting. The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussions on a) Review of Macroeconomic Vulnerability Indicators b) SAARCFINANCE Database c) Collaborative Research Studies by Member Central Banks d) Reducing the cost of cross border remittances e) Capacity building f) Cooperation in Banking Regulation and Supervision g) Financial Inclusion. The meeting also decided to transfer the chair from Da Afghanistan Bank to Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan for the year 2019.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Mr. Fazle Kabir chaired the 35th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Washington DC, USA on 12 October 2017. Governors and Finance Secretaries of the SAARC countries and their nominated officials participated the meeting. The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussions on a) Review of Macroeconomic Vulnerability Indicators b) SAARCFINANCE Database c) Collaborative Research Studies by Member Central Banks d) Reducing the cost of cross border remittances e) Capacity building e) Cooperation in Banking Regulation and Supervision f) Financial Inclusion g) New Proposals from the Member Countries to Host Seminars or other activities under the Aegis of SAARCFINANCE h) Sorting out coordination mechanism between SAARCFINANCE and IGEG. The meeting also decided to transfer the chair from Bangladesh Bank to Da Afghanistan Bank for the year 2018.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Mr. Fazle Kabir chaired the 34th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 12 July 2017. Governors and Finance Secretaries of the SAARC countries and their nominated officials participated the meeting.
The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussions on a) List of Macroeconomic Vulnerability Indicators b) SAARCFINANCE Database c) Collaborative Research Studies by Member Central Banks – Updates d) Roadmap of SAARCFINANCE – Updates e) New Proposals from the Member Countries to Host Seminars or other activities under the Aegis of SAARCFINANCE f) Inviting Central Bank of Iran and Myanmar to participate SAARCFINANCE seminars/workshops/symposium as observers g) Proposal to make SAARCFINANCE Website more informative h) Venue for the 36th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting and i) Increase the allocated time for Group Meetings.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy chaired the 33rd SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Washington, D.C., USA on 7 October 2016. Governors and Finance Secretaries of the SAARC countries and their nominated officials participated the meeting. The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussions on a) Discussion on including the Macroeconomic Vulnerability Indicators as a regular agenda item of SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting and incorporating it in the e-newsletter b) SAARCFINANCE Database - Way Forward c) Collaborative research studies by member central banks – Updates d) Finalization of the roadmap of SAARCFINANCE e) New proposals by member countries for holding of seminars or other activities under the aegis of SAARCFINANCE f) Inviting Central Bank of Iran and Myanmar to participate SAARCFINANCE events as observers g) Proposal to make SAARCFINANCE Website more informative h) Transfer of SAARCFINANCE Chair from Central Bank of Sri Lanka to the Bangladesh Bank i) Venue for the SAARCFINANCE Governors’ Symposium and 34th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting. Likewise, before the close of the Meeting, the SAARCFINANCE Chair was handed over to Bangladesh Bank from Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Mr. Arjuna Mahendran chaired the 32nd SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Mumbai, India on 27 May 2016. Governors, Deputy Governors and Finance Secretaries of the SAARC countries and their nominated officials participated the meeting. Deputy Governor Mr. Shiba Raj Shrestha represented the Nepal Rastra Bank on the meeting. The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussions on a) SAARCFINANCE Database - Way Forward b) Maintenance of SAARCFINANCE Portal by a Large Central Bank c) Collaborative research studies by SAARCFINANCE member countries- Updates and New Proposals d) Drafting proposals for identifying areas of regional cooperation and integration, which would eventually act as the roadmap for SAARCFINANCE – Updates e) New proposals from the member countries to hold seminars and other activities under aegis of SAARCFINANCE f) Presentation by the Chairperson of the SAARCFINANCE Payment Council on Annual Activities Report.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Mr. Ashraf Mahmood Wathra chaired the 31st SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Lima, Peru on 8 October 2015. Governors, Deputy Governors and Finance Secretaries of the SAARC countries and their nominated officials participated the meeting. The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussions on a) SAARCFINANCE Database – Review of Progress and Way Forward b) Drafting proposals for identifying areas of regional cooperation and integration, which would eventually act as the roadmap for SAARCFINANCE c) Venue for 32nd SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting and Governors’ Symposium 2016 d)Collaborative research studies by member central banks- Updates e) Proposals from the member countries to hold seminars and other activities under aegis of SAARCFINANCE f) Transfer of SAARCFINANCE Chair from State Bank of Pakistan to Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Mr. Ashraf Mahmood Wathra chaired the 30th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 12 June 2015. Governors and Finance Secretaries of the SAARC countries and their nominated officials participated the meeting.
The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussions on a) reviewing status of SAARCFINANCE database b) modalities for collaborating research studies c) proposal for identifying areas of regional cooperation and integration and initiating production of roadmap for SAARCFINANCE d) Proposal of inviting Chairperson of SAARC Payment Council in regional SAARCFINANCE Group Meetings and e) new proposals from the member countries to host seminars or other activities under the Aegis of SAARCFINANCE.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada chaired the 29th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting in Washington, D.C., USA on 9 October 2014. In his opening remarks, Governor Dr. Khatiwada stated that as today's era of financial integration brings new complex challenges to central bankers in carrying out our roles in preserving monetary and financial stability, cooperative solutions can lead to better outcomes. He also highlighted a few initiatives that were undertaken by the SAARCFINANCE during the past years including the SWAP arrangement, the Scholarship Scheme and the undertaking of regional studies on a collaborative basis. The Meeting covered a wide range of issues including discussion on a) topics for undertaking joint studies, b) allocation of tasks of SAARCFINANCE among member central banks, c) inviting the SAARCFINANCE Focal Points in Ministries of Finance as observers at the Coordinators' Meetings, d) concept paper pertaining to 'Regional Statistical Database' and e) new Proposals from the member countries to host seminars or other activities under the Aegis of SAARCFINANCE. Likewise, before the close of the Meeting, the SAARCFINANCE Chair was handed over to State Bank of Pakistan from Nepal Rastra Bank.

Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada chaired the 28th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 24 July 2014. In his opening remarks, Governor Dr. Khatiwada highlighted the role of SAARCFINANCE in achieving the long-term development objectives through cooperation in the monetary and financial matters including policy harmonization, financial inclusion, efficient payment platforms and controlling money laundering along with maintaining monetary and financial stability. He emphasized that the SAAARCFINANCE Network needed to further promote high-level policy discussions on macroeconomic and financial issues as well as foster bonds among policymakers from Central Banks and Finance Ministries of the region. The Meeting covered issues such as those relating to amendment in SAARCFINANCE Terms of Reference, development of Regional Statistical Database, hosting of a sidelines seminar along the Coordinators' Meeting and creating a permanent institution for SAARCFINANCE.

To facilitate the working of the SAARCFINANCE network, it was decided at the 13th SAARCFINANCE meeting that Coordinators should meet twice a year and each country could be represented by 2-3 delegates.

SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Acting Director Mr. Govinda Prasad Nagila, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 28th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Da Afghanistan Bank in Kathmandu, Nepal on 26 August 2018. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including macroeconomic surveillance indicators, SAARCFINANCE database, collaborative research studies by member central banks, capacity buildings, cooperation in banking regulation and supervision, financial inclusion, new proposals by member countries for holding of seminars or other activities, and agenda for the 37th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Bali, Indonesia on 12 October, 2018.

Alternate SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Deputy Director Mr. Shubhash Chandra Ghimire, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 27th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Da Afghanistan Bank in Dubai, UAE on 12 May 2018. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including macroeconomic surveillance indicators, SAARCFINANCE database, collaborative research studies by member central banks, new proposals by member countries for holding of seminars or other activities, and agenda for the 36th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal on June 27, 2018.

SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Director Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 26th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Bangladesh Bank in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh from 26-27 August 2017. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including macroeconomic vulnerability indicators, SAARCFINANCE database, collaborative research studies by member central banks, roadmap of SAARCFINANCE, new proposals by member countries for holding of seminars or other activities, strengthening coordination between SAARCFINANCE and SAARC Inter-Governmental Expert Group on financial issues, transfer of SAARCFINANCE chair, and agenda for the 35th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Washington DC,USA.

SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Director Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 25th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Bangladesh Bank in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 9-10 April 2017. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including update about SAARCFINANCE database, collaborative research studies by member central banks, new proposals by member countries for holding of seminars or other activities, indicators of macroeconomic vulnerability, inviting Iran and Myanmar in the SAARCFINANCE events as observers, proposals to make SAARCFINANCE website more informative and agenda for the 34th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Director Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 24th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 1-2 September 2016. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including update about SAARCFINANCE database, collaborative research studies by member central banks, new proposals by member countries for holding of seminars or other activities, drafting proposals for identifying areas of regional cooperation and integration, transfer of SAARCFINANCE Chair, venue for the SAARCFINANCE Governors’ Symposium and 34th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting along with other matters including agenda for the 33rd SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Washington, D.C.

Alternate SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Deputy Director Mr. Shubhash Chandra Ghimire, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 23rd SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 28-29 April 2016. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including review of activities relating to SAARCFINANCE portal and website, SAARCFINANCE database, collaborative research studies under the aegis of SAARCFINANCE NETWORK, new proposals by member countries for holding of seminars or other activities, along with other matters including the agenda for the 32nd SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Mumbai, India on May 2016.

SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Director Dr. Nephil Matangi Maskay, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 22nd SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the State Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad, Pakistan from 17-18 August 2015. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including review of activities relating to SAARCFINANCE database and modalities for conducting of collaborative research studies under the aegis of SAARCFINANCE NETWORK, venue for 32nd SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting and Governors’ Symposium 2016 along with other matters including the agenda for the 31st SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Lima, Peru on October 2015.

Director Dr. Nephil Matangi Maskay, Office of the Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank participated in the 21st SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Satte Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad, Pakistan from 19-20 March 2015. The meeting discussed various issues of SAARCFINANCE including review of activities relating to SAARCFINANCE database and modalities for conducting of collaborative research studies under the aegis of SAARCFINANCE NETWORK along with the agenda for the 30th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 12th June 2015.

The 20th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting was held on 4 September 2014 at Dhulikhel Mountain Resort, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal. The major objectives of this Meeting were to review the progress of SAARCFINANCE activities and to prepare the draft agenda for the forthcoming 29th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C, USA on 9 October 2014 on the sidelines of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meeting. In his opening address, Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of NRB thanked all the members for entrusting NRB to chair the SAARCFINANCE Group and for providing the opportunity for hosting the 20th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting. Governor Dr. Khatiwada observed that global financial crisis has raised fundamental challenges for monetary policy globally. He felt that close regional and global central bank cooperation in the form of a structured and regular exchange of views is important to foster a common understanding of the issues and to converge on solutions to financial stress. He stressed that cooperation among the central banks of the region is needed especially during the periods of stress to ease financial strains and to boost confidence within the region. Governor Dr. Khatiwada also highlighted some recent initiatives undertaken by the SAARCFINANCE Network, such as the SAARC Swap Arrangement and SAARCFINANCE Scholarship Scheme by the Reserve Bank of India, and the launching of SAARCFINANCE Portal by the Maldives Monetary Authority. Likewise, with respect to the theme of the SAARCFINANCE Seminar on "Payments and Settlement Systems in SAARC Region" to be held the next day on 5 September 2014, he underscored the significance of building a robust financial infrastructure which is very crucial for efficient payments and settlement systems.
The Opening Session was followed by the Business Session that was chaired by Mr. Maha Prasad Adhikari, Deputy Governor of NRB and attended by SAARCFINANCE Coordinators/Alternate Coordinators except from Maldives Monetary Authority. The Meeting encompassed a number of issues including discussion on a) some topics for regional studies/projects, b) ensuring the active participation of Ministries of Finance of member countries, c) allocation of tasks among member central banks, d) uploading and distribution of the SAARCFINANCE e-Newsletter and addressing some ambiguities, e) ways to make SAARCFINANCE swap lines more effective, f) new proposals from the member countries to hold seminars or other activities under the aegis of SAARCFINANCE and g) agenda for the 29th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Washington, D.C., USA on 9 October 201

The 19th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting was held in Kathmandu on 18 May 2014. The meeting was hosted by Nepal Rastra Bank as the chairing member central bank of SAARCFINANCE. The major objectives of this Meeting were to review the progress of SAARCFINANCE activities as well as to prepare the draft agenda for the forthcoming 28th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting scheduled to be held in Colombo on 24 July 2014 on the sidelines of SAARCFINANCE Governors' Symposium. Delivering the inaugural address, Chairman of SAARCFINANCE and Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada remarked that the SAARC countries must strengthen their capacities to operate and develop the already established cooperation frameworks more effectively, rather than trying to find new areas for cooperation, and also learn to harness the existing strengths in the region, particularly in the areas of inclusive finance, banking regulation and supervision and economic research. The welcome remarks were delivered by Deputy Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Mr. Gopal Prasad Kaphle who also chaired the ensuing Business Session. Excluding the representation from Maldives Monetary Authority, the Meeting was participated by all SAARCFINANCE Coordinators and/or Alternate Coordinators as well as the First Deputy Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank. The Meeting held discussions on a wide range of issues including a) establishment of a permanent SAARCFINANCE Secretariat or SAARC Institute, b) development of a Regional Statistical Database, c) change in SAARCFINANCE Terms of Reference relating to Rotation of SAARCFINANCE Chair on annual basis d) organizing a seminar/talk program along the sidelines of the SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting, and e) agenda for the 28th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 24 July 2014.

Dr. Bhubanesh Pant, Director of Research Department and SAARCFINANCE Coordinator for Nepal Rastra Bank participated at the 18th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Maldives Monetary Authority in Male, from 25-26 August 2013. The meeting discussed various issues on the activities of SAARCFINANCE including improvement of SAARCFINANCE Portal and updating SAARCFINANCE history, publication of e-Newsletter in new format, five-year roadmap of SAARCFINANCE and agenda for the 27th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Washington, D.C. on 9 October 2013.

Dr. Bhubanesh Pant, Director of Research Department and SAARCFINANCE Coordinator for Nepal Rastra Bank took part in the 17th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Maldives Monetary Authority in Kathmandu, on 24 April 2013.The meeting covered a wide range of issues including the implementation of the 25th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Meeting decisions, SAARCFINANCE focal point at the Ministry of Finance in member countries and the agenda for the 26th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Meeting to be held in Islamabad on 19 June 2013.

Mr. Bibhu Prasad Aryal, Deputy Director of Research Department took part in the 16th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Maldives Monetary Authority in Male, from 2 to 3 September 2012. The meeting focused on issues such as assigning of Alternate SAACFINANCE Coordinators from each member country, new format of SAARCFINANCE e-Newsletter, SAARCFINANCE Scholarship scheme and the agenda for 25th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Tokyo, Japan on 14 October 2012.

Dr. Bhubanesh Pant, Director of Research Department and SAARCFINANCE Coordinator for Nepal Rastra Bank took part in the 15th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators' Meeting organized by the Maldives Monetary Authority in Male, from 12 - 13 March 2012. The meeting focused on issues such as assigning of Alternate SAACFINANCE Coordinators from each member country, new format of SAARCFINANCE e-Newsletter, SAARCFINANCE Scholarship scheme and the agenda for 25th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Tokyo, Japan on 14 October 2012. The meeting reviewed the progress relating to the Memorandum on the Framework of SWAP Arrangement as well as the SAARCFINANCE Activities for 2012. Other issues that were examined included the SAARCFINANCE Portal, coordination with Inter-Governmental Expert Group (IGEG) on Financial Issues, linking the Spring Meeting of SAARCFINANCE with the Governors' Symposium in the region and the agenda for 24th SAARCFINANCE Group Meeting to be held in Pokhara, Nepal, on 16 May 2012.

Seminars and Workshops

It was decided at the 13 th SAARCFINANCE meeting that every member Central Bank (except Bhutan and Maldives) would organize at least one seminar every year. Accordingly some seminars organized by the Nepal Rastra Bank include the following.

Assistant Director Ms. Asmita Gorkhali, Microfinance Promotion and Supervision Department, Nepal Rastra Bank participated as a Team Member from Nepal Rastra Bank in the 3rd Meeting of Researchers' on "Financial Inclusion in the SAARC Region" hosted by the Bangladesh Bank in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 19 December 2016. The Lead Researchers from Bangladesh Bank and Maldives Monetary Authority with team members from remaining member central banks were present in the meeting.

SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Director Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Office of the Governor, Director Dr. Gunakar Bhatta, Research Department, Alternate SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Deputy Director Mr. Shubhash Chandra Ghimire, Office of the Governor and Mr. Bharat Owd, Assistant Director, Research Department participated the seminar on SAARCFINANCE Database and First Meeting of working group on SAARCFINANCE Database in Pune, India from November 17-18, 2016. The purpose of the Seminar was to review existing database, discuss on feasibility of further expanding data coverage, feasibility of moving towards international standard and to seek suggestions from each member central banks for improving SAARCFINANCE database.

Assistant Director Ms. Asmita Gorkhali, Microfinance Promotion and Supervision Department, Nepal Rastra Bank participated as a Team Member from Nepal Rastra Bank in the 2nd Meeting of Researchers' on "Financial Inclusion in the SAARC Region" hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 28-29 April 2016. The Lead Researchers from Bangladesh Bank and Maldives Monetary Authority with team members from remaining member central banks were present in the meeting. The meeting discussed about level of financial inclusion in SAARC Region, overall penetration of account, trends and approaches of financial inclusion at country level, estimation of Financial Inclusion Index, sustainable development goals and financial inclusion strategies in SAARC.

Alternate SAARCFINANCE Coordinator & Deputy Director Mr. Shubhash Chandra Ghimire, Office of the Governor and Mr. Badrinath Nepal, Assistant Director, Research Department participated the seminar on SAARCFINANCE Database organized by the Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai, India from 8-9 December 2015. The purpose of the Seminar was to demonstrate the first-cut of the SAARCFINANCE Database created by RBI on the basis of information provided by member central banks, and discuss ways to improve the same, fill the data-gaps and address difficulties being faced by central banks in providing the data and metadata.

Assistant Director Mr. Mitra Prasad Timsina, Research Department, Nepal Rastra Bank participated as a Team Member from Nepal Rastra Bank in the 1st Meeting of Researchers' on "Managing Capital and Remittance Flows in SAARC Region for Safeguarding Financial Stability" hosted by the State Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad, Pakistan from 17-18 August 2015. The Lead Researchers from Reserve Bank of India and State Bank of Pakistan with team members were present from the remaining SAARCFINANCE members (barring researcher team member from Maldives Monetary Authority). This first meeting discussed on various issues including the objectives, methodology and responsibilities of each of the team member’s for conducting the research study.

Staff Exchange

Since the inception of the SAARCFINANCE, many officers have visited various institutions of member countries under Staff Exchange Program. The program covers a broad range of issues from risk-based supervision to monetary policy and HR practices. Under the Staff Exchange Program, the matter of cost sharing is left entirely to the countries concerned. NRB has participated in a number of Staff Exchange Programs. Nepal Rastra Bank has also hosted a number of SAARCFINANCE StaffExchange Programs, which covers a broad range of activities such as capital procurement, payment and settlement, foreign exchange management etc.